tis but thy name that is thy enemy
by thewasabipea
Summary: How could he have been anything other than evil, with that name branded upon him at birth? A drabble that exploded. Very mild Damon/Caroline.


**Disclaimer: **Don't own; don't sue. Passage comes from BehindTheName. Title comes from Shakespeare's _Romeo and Juliet_; it is modified from the original phrasing.

**Spoilers:** Takes place in mid-Season 3 or so. No explicit spoilers.

**Author's Notes**: * passage about brothers taken from caption of following art piece: wants to believe.t[umblr] .com [/] post/19250717885/are-you-reading-us-the-little-red-riding-hood. THANK YOU for the use of your lovely work! Please excuse AWFUL formatting of the url! If you have trouble viewing the artwork, the URL is also available on my profile. :)

Thank you also to **Eena** and **Fenmir** for the lovely beta work.

_'tis but thy name that is thy enemy_

They think his name means demon. Stefan says that he shouldn't blame them; it sounds pretty similar, don't you think? The same way Salvatore sounds like _salvation._ An easy mistake to make, Stefan claims. Damon scoffs and pretends that he doesn't care, he never cared, he's just like a demon, an embodiment of evil, so why should it matter that his name sounds more like a damnation? Stefan smiles softly and ignores the hardness in his brother's eyes. Their mother had been a wise woman, but more than a century later Stefan could not hope to understand why she had saddled her sons with such weighty names.

A few weeks later, that conversation is almost the last thing from Damon's mind. It's been one of those days where he can't quite remember why tossing aside his ring and stepping into the sunlight is bad idea. Why he keeps breathing in and out, waking, sleeping, living, when there doesn't seem to be a reason. Stefan, ever the martyr, continues to rack up the hero points while he, the _demon_, does nothing but alienate and hurt the ones around him. Everything seems to go even worse for him when he tries his hardest. But he knows he'd sooner fall on a stake than walk away from these people. Call it dedication, insanity, stubbornness; whatever personality flaw they see fit to assign to him. Whatever it is that is so wrong with him that he chooses to stay. It certainly can't be the people that are currently doing their best to ignore his angry stomping up to his room while Stefan attempts to assuage their concerns.

He's just about ready to throw himself upon his bed like the teenager he never really got to be, when he notices a piece of paper on his pillow. It's just a simple printout, a typed paragraph and a single sentence written on the bottom in familiar loopy hand. He'd be unnerved, but it's hard to gather up the energy. Sliding onto his bed, he picks it up.

"_According to Greek legend, Damon and Pythias were friends who lived on Syracuse in the 4th century BC. When Pythias was sentenced to death, he was allowed to temporarily go free on the condition that Damon take his place in prison. Pythias returned just before Damon was to be executed in his place, and the king was so impressed with their loyalty to one another that he pardoned Pythias."_

_Stefan may die for what he believes in, but you will always do what it takes so that no one else has to._

The page in front of his face blurs, but Damon doesn't notice. Instead, he's falling? into memories that he's never shared before. Memories of his mother's voice, weak from sickness, whispering to him.

"_Protect him. When you are feeling afraid or sad, remember that you have your brother beside you. Brothers protect each other. When he turns you away, when he is cruel or even when he hurts you; never forget that you are brothers, and protect him."*_

Unable to stop himself, he brings the paper to his nose, almost expecting the scent of roses that always floated around his mother. Instead, the faint smell of sunlight wafts towards him. He can't stop the tiniest of smiles from crossing his face.

There is only one girl who is observant enough to realize that there may be a cause to his anger, instead of brushing it off as his general mood. One girl who cares enough to do the research into what others may think of as insignificant. One girl whose very being gleams with light and hope.

Gently folding the slip of paper and tucking it into his jeans pocket, Damon allows a small smile to appear on his lips as he settles on his bed. Maybe his reasons for staying this hellish town are clearer than he once thought.


End file.
